Nimzo Indian Defense

Nimzo Indian Defense

The Nimzo Indian Defense is an extremely solid defense that is seen at all levels of play. Many players playing as white will try different variations to try to avoid going into the Nimzo Indian Defense lines.
Black looks to double up the pawns on the c-file in exchange for his dark square bishop. With the knight on c3 the key defender of the e4 square, black really starts to focus his energy on controlling the e4 and the light squares.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Ne2 Bb7 6.a3 Be7 7.d5 O-O
8.Ng3 d6 9.Be2 c6 10.e4 Na6 11.dxc6 Bxc6 12.b4 Nc7 13.O-O Qb8
14.Be3 b5 15.a4 bxc4 16.b5 Bb7 17.Bxc4 d5 18.exd5 Ncxd5
19.Nxd5 Nxd5 20.Bxd5 Bxd5 21.Nf5 Bf6 22.Bd4 exf5 23.Bxf6 Qb7
24.Ra3 gxf6 25.Rg3+ Kh8 26.Qd4 Qe7 27.Qxd5 Qe6 28.Qd4 Rfd8
29.Qh4 Rg8 30.Rd1 Rg4 31.Rxg4 fxg4 32.h3 Rg8 33.hxg4 Rxg4
34.Qh6 Qe7 35.a5 Rg6 36.Qh3 Qe2 37.Qd3 Qg4 38.g3 Qh3 39.Qf3 h5
40.b6 axb6 41.axb6 Qc8 1-0

Roland Knechtel vs Rainer Tauber
2000

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 d5 5. Bg5 c5 6. a3 Bxc3+
7. bxc3 Qa5 8. Bd2 Qc7 9. e3 Nc6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 O-O
12. Ne2 Re8 13. O-O b6 14. Ng3 Bb7 15. Ra2 Rad8 16. Bc1 Ne7
17. e4 cxd4 18. cxd4 Qc3 19. Bb2 Qa5 20. e5 Nd7 21. Qb3 Rc8
22. Ne2 Ba6 23. Bc1 Bc4 24. Bxc4 dxc4 25. Qc3 Qb5 26. Rb2 Qc6
27. Nf4 Nf8 28. Rd1 Red8 29. Re2 Ne6 30. Nh5 Nd5 31. Qc2 b5
32. f4 a5 33. f5 Nf8 34. Bg5 Re8 35. Re4 b4 36. Rg4 b3 37. Qc1
Ng6 38. fxg6 hxg6 39. Nf4 c3 40. Nxd5 Qxd5 41. Rf1 a4 42. Qe3
f5 43. Rh4 b2 44. Qh3 c2 45. Rh8+ Kf7 46. Rxf5+ Ke6 47. Rf5f8#
1-0

Ivan Sokolov vs Lev Polugaevsky
It (open) 1989
Chess opening-Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation
[Result 0-1]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3
b6 7. Bg5 Bb7 8. f3 h6 9. Bh4 d5 10. e3 Nbd7 11. c5 c6 12. Bd3
a5 13. b4 Ne4 14. Bxe4 Qxh4+ 15. g3 Qf6 16. Bc2 axb4 17. axb4
Rxa1+ 18. Qxa1 Ra8 19. Qc3 bxc5 20. bxc5 e5 21. Kf2 exd4
22. exd4 Ba6 23. Ne2 Bc4 24. Re1 g6 25. Kg2 Re8 26. Nf4 Rxe1
27. Qxe1 Qxd4 28. Bxg6 Qb2+ 29. Kh3 Qe5 30. Qxe5 Nxe5 31. Bc2
Bf1+ 32. Kh4 d4 33. Bd1 Nc4 34. Ba4 Ne5 35. g4 Nxf3+ 36. Kh5
Ne5 37. g5 d3 38. gxh6 d2 39. Kg5 Nd7 40. Bd1 Nxc5 41. Kf5 Bb5
42. Ng2 Na4 43. Ne3 Nc3 44. Bb3 Be2 45. h7+ Kxh7 46. Bxf7 Nd5
47. Bxd5 cxd5 48. Ke5 0-1

Fritz (Computer) vs Garry Kasparov
Intel World Chess Man vs. Machine III 1995
Chess opening-Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation. Keres Defense
[Result 0-1]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3 6. Qxc3 b6
7. Bg5 Ba6 8. e3 d6 9. f3 Nbd7 10. Bd3 h6 11. Bh4 c5 12. Rd1
Rc8 13. Ne2 cxd4 14. Qxd4 Ne5 15. b3 Nxd3 16. Qxd3 d5 17. Qc3
Ne4 18. Qxg7 Kxg7 19. Bxd8 Rfxd8 20. fxe4 dxc4 21. bxc4 Rxd1
22. Kxd1 Rxc4 23. Kd2 Ra4 24. Ra1 Bxe2 25. Kxe2 b5 26. Rb1 a6
27. Rb3 Rxe4 28. Rc3 Ra4 29. h3 h5 30. g3 f5 31. Rb3 Kf6
32. Rc3 Ke5 33. Kf3 Kd5 34. Rd3 Kc4 35. Rd6 Kb3 36. Rxe6 Kxa3
37. Ke2 a5 38. Re5 b4 39. Rb5 b3 40. Kd3 Kb2 41. h4 Ra1
42. Rxf5 a4 43. Rxh5 a3 44. Ra5 a2 45. h5 Rh1 46. Ke4 a1=Q 0-1

Mikhail Botvinnik vs Viacheslav Ragozin
Sverdlovsk 1943
Chess opening-Nimzo-Indian Defense: Fischer Variation
[Result 1-0]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Ne2 Bb7 6.a3 Be7 7.d5 O-O
8.Ng3 d6 9.Be2 c6 10.e4 Na6 11.dxc6 Bxc6 12.b4 Nc7 13.O-O Qb8
14.Be3 b5 15.a4 bxc4 16.b5 Bb7 17.Bxc4 d5 18.exd5 Ncxd5
19.Nxd5 Nxd5 20.Bxd5 Bxd5 21.Nf5 Bf6 22.Bd4 exf5 23.Bxf6 Qb7
24.Ra3 gxf6 25.Rg3+ Kh8 26.Qd4 Qe7 27.Qxd5 Qe6 28.Qd4 Rfd8
29.Qh4 Rg8 30.Rd1 Rg4 31.Rxg4 fxg4 32.h3 Rg8 33.hxg4 Rxg4
34.Qh6 Qe7 35.a5 Rg6 36.Qh3 Qe2 37.Qd3 Qg4 38.g3 Qh3 39.Qf3 h5
40.b6 axb6 41.axb6 Qc8 1-0

Garry Kasparov vs Anatoli Karpov
Supertorneo Las Palmas 1996
Chess opening-Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation. Keres Defense (E32)
[Result 1-0]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3
b6 7. Bg5 Bb7 8. e3 d6 9. f3 Nbd7 10. Nh3 c5 11. dxc5 bxc5
12. Be2 Qb6 13. O-O d5 14. Rad1 Bc6 15. Nf2 h6 16. Bh4 Ba4
17. Rd2 Bb3 18. Ng4 Nxg4 19. fxg4 Rab8 20. g5 hxg5 21. Bxg5
Rb7 22. Be7 Re8 23. Bh4 Nf8 24. Bg3 Rd8 25. Bh4 Rdd7 26. cxd5
Rxd5 27. e4 Rxd2 28. Qxd2 Ba4 29. Bh5 Be8 30. Bf2 Qb5 31. Qd8
Bc6 32. Bg3 Rd7 33. Qe8 Qxf1+ 34. Kxf1 Rd1+ 35. Bxd1 Bxe8
36. Bf2 Bb5+ 37. Be2 Bxe2+ 38. Kxe2 Nd7 39. Kd3 a6 40. Bg1 f5
41. exf5 exf5 42. Kc4 Ne5+ 43. Kxc5 Nd3+ 44. Kb6 1-0

Mikhail Botvinnik vs Nikolay Novotelnov
Russia 1951
Chess opening-Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal. Bronstein (Byrne) Variation (E45)
[Result 1-0]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 5.Ne2 Ba6 6.a3 Be7 7.Nf4 d5
8.b3 O-O 9.Bb2 c6 10.Bd3 Bd6 11.O-O Nbd7 12.Nh5 Nxh5 13.Qxh5
f5 14.Qe2 Rc8 15.f3 Qh4 16.g3 Qh3 17.Rad1 dxc4 18.Bxc4 Bxc4
19.bxc4 Rce8 20.f4 Nf6 21.e4 Ng4 22.e5 Be7 23.Rd3 Rc8 24.Qg2
Qh5 25.h3 Nh6 26.Bc1 g5 27.fxg5 Bxg5 28.Bxg5 Qxg5 29.Ne2 Nf7
30.Nf4 Qh6 31.Qe2 Ng5 32.Kh2 Rfd8 33.Qh5 Qxh5 34.Nxh5 Nf7
35.Re1 Kf8 36.g4 fxg4 37.hxg4 Ke7 38.Kg3 b5 39.c5 a5 40.Kf4
Rg8 41.Nf6 Rg7 42.Rh1 h6 43.a4 b4 44.Rd2 Rg6 45.Ke3 Rd8
46.Rdh2 Rb8 47.Rf2 Rh8 48.Rhf1 Nd8 49.Rf4 Rg7 50.Rh1 Rg6
51.Ne4 Rhg8 52.Kf3 R8g7 53.Nd2 Rg8 54.Nb3 Nb7 55.Kg3 R8g7
56.Rh2 Rg8 57.Rh4 Rh8 58.Kf3 Rh7 59.Nd2 Nd8 60.Nc4 Nb7 61.Rh3
Rhg7 62.Ne3 Rh7 63.Rh2 Nd8 64.Ke4 Rf7 65.Nc4 Rxf4+ 66.Kxf4 Nb7
67.Kg3 Kf8 68.Nd2 Nd8 69.Nb3 Nb7 70.Rf2+ Kg7 71.Kh4 Kh7 72.Nc1
Nd8 73.Nb3 Nb7 74.Nd2 Rg8 75.Rf7+ Rg7 76.Rxg7+ Kxg7 77.Kh5 b3
78.Nxb3 Kh7 79.d5 exd5 80.e6 Kg7 81.e7 Kf7 82.Kxh6 Kxe7 83.g5
Nd8 84.g6 Ne6 85.Nxa5 d4 86.Nxc6+ Kd7 87.Ne5+ 1-0